2018’s Best Gun Safes For Your Home – Reviews For Every Budget & User

Your firearms are some of the most individually valuable items in your possession. Even a small collection can easily be valued in thousands of dollars. With additional items like optics, magazines, ammunition, and holsters the value can double in no time.

The most valuable accessory you can add to your arsenal is a high quality gun safe. Choosing the top safe to buy depends on exactly what you are going to use it for, whether it is for general storage, fireproof storage, or quick access to defensive situations.

Top Choices by Category

Gun safes are built in a lot of different shapes and sizes to fill specific roles. Sometimes it is the personal preference of the buyer, and sometimes it has to do with logistical, financial, or even domicile layout constraints and considerations.

Some gun owners are content with owning a single firearm for defensive purposes, while others are lifetime enthusiasts with many firearms in their possession who have a variety of expectations and needs. You may need a small lockbox in the family car, a bedside or a long rifle safe.

Handgun Safe

Handguns are designed to be defensive weapons, so these safes are built to reflect this. These are typically compact and offer quick access, although this can vary dependent upon the model.

Stack-On GCB-500 Steel Pistol/Ammo Cabinet

Value-minded consumers can easily get into a quality unit by Stack-On for under $50, which are opened by a digital keypad and backed up with keys. Amazon has its own brand, Amazon Basics, which has a comparable safe at a similar price point.

Stack-On units have a reputation for high quality with flawless functionality and long battery life.

Vaultek VT10i

Higher end vaults are often biometric activated which requires just a fingertip to open, providing unparalleled speed of access. Vaultek is a premier manufacturer of biometric safes with excellent customer feedback, and their VT10i and VT20i are great options.

Biometric (Finger Print)

Biometric safes are a highly desirable option for home defense use. They are lightning quick and require no thinking on the owner’s part; a valuable quality in the middle of the night. Biometric safes are also a secure option for homes with children, and they are very secure if an intruder tries to crack it.

SpeedVault Digital Keypad

A consumer favorite model for a rapid action safe is made by GunVault, and is aptly-named the SpeedVault. Its hanging configuration mounts to a wall or on the side of a cabinet or dresser. When opened, a door drops down putting your handgun at the ready.

Vaultek VT20i

The highest-end biometric available is by Vaultek, a modern manufacturer which packs their products with fantastic features. The VT20i is simply awesome, with four separate access options on every unit - are biometrics, keypad, keys, and even a mobile app!

It is about double the price of the preceding items but it is hard to think that it is not worth it.

Steelwater Standard Duty 16 Long Gun Fire Protection for 60 Minutes

Long Gun & Rifles

Falling into the camp of more traditional choices, rifle and long gun safes represent arguably the perfect option for all-around bulk storage of firearms and accessories. You can buy safes for rifles and ones in a bunch of sizes and capacities, ranging from four all the way up to over twenty.

Rifle and long gun storage can be had at reasonable prices for the budget minded, with vertical safes found for under $120.

These units, made by industry recognized leader Stack-On, are very basic using only a key, but will work fine for eight long guns and quite a few boxes of ammo, or a couple handguns on the top shelf.

Steelwater makes some of the top rated rugged gun models on the market. Capacities from 16 long guns through their behemoth 45 long gun safe are available.

Their standard duty models are also rated for 60 minutes of exposure to fire, and the extreme duty models are rated for 120 minutes, adding an extra layer of protection to your valuable collection.

Fireproof Options

If you have the choice between a standard duty safe with no fire protection a safe rated with fire resistance, choose the fireproof safe. Firearms are just too valuable to take the chance on. This also adds safety for first responders in the event that your house did catch fire.

Steelwater Heavy Duty 39 Long Gun

Steelwater is the leading manufacturer of fireproof safes, offering several levels of protection in their safes from 60 to 120 minutes, depending on the model.

Bedside

Concern over home invasions is a significant contributing factor for gun owners, particularly first-time gun owners. Since a high percentage of home invasions do occur during the hours of darkness, homeowners often keep their defensive firearm within arms’ reach of their bed.

SentrySafe Pistol Safe QAP1E

If your bedside configuration is not conducive to a wall-type mount, you will want to look at more traditional safes. The SentrySafe QAP1E is one of the top picks on the market with a compact design allowing for quick storage and easy access when needed.

Stealth Defense Vault DV652 Under Bed

Both the AR-15 Carbine and the 12 Gauge pump shotgun are popular as home defense weapons. The sound of a 12 gauge shotgun racking a shell into the chamber could be enough to scare off most invaders, and if you can mitigate the noise hazard, the AR-pattern rifle is a natural platform for home defense.

Should you choose a carbine or short shotgun as your weapon of choice for home defense, you should take a look at an under bed storage option. The top choice in this category is the Stealth Defense Vault.

A robust 52” in length, the DV652 is long enough to accommodate full-length rifle and shotguns, but it offers a rapid action keypad and sliding drawer on rollers for quick deployment.

The Frontier under bed is shorter, allowing for weapons under 41 ½”. The concept is the same as the DV652: unlock, slide out the steel drawer, engage the target. This item is simple with a single keyed entry device, but it is also about half the cost of the Stealth Defense unit.

Quick Access

All of the digital options for safe access (biometrics, digital keypad, etc.) were designed to allow quick access.

Biometrics represent the fastest option, and undoubtedly the most user-friendly when things go bump in the night. However, modern technology is being applied to almost every corner of our lives, to include gun safes.

First Alert 5200DF Portable Handgun Safe

If you do not have an extra $350 to spend on a safe then the First Alert 5200DF may fit the bill perfectly. It is very compact with room for one handgun and a spare magazine, uses an ergonomic keypad shaped for your hand to naturally slide into position and punch in a code without looking.

Coming in under $100 with excellent feedback this is an item you cannot afford to not buy.

SnapSafe Treklite XL

The SnapSafe Treklite XL lockbox is a great option for travel. It is constructed out of ultra-durable polycarbonate, the same material that high-end Pelican cases are constructed from. These are virtually indestructible, cheap to produce, and the awesome part: no dents.

Unlike steel which can dent easily, polycarbonate will not dent. It may get scuffed and dirty, but it will not dent.

It is also lightweight. The MV500 is 4 lbs, but the Treklite only weights 1.6 lbs.

VAULTEK VE10 Quick Access Portable Pistol Safe

Wall mounted options are made specifically to fit between standard 16” framing studs on a wall, offering the absolute lowest profile possible in a safe. They are often concealed by a full-length mirror or wall painting but are tall enough to and wide enough to house several long guns.

Paragon 7750 Electronic Wall Lock and Safe

If you don’t need to house any long guns, Paragon Lock and Safe make a sturdy option large enough to house several of your handguns and plenty of extra ammo.

While it is heavy, weighing 40 lbs, it is sturdy enough to last a lifetime.

10 Gun Safe

10 gun safes are one of the most prolific sizes sold. They offer a lot of space for fairly low cost, Stack-On has a lot of offerings in this category. There are a few other brands that make these, but Stack-On is the leading brand of this size and type.

Stack-On GCB-910

The Stack-On GCB-910 is a basic gun safety. It has a traditional keyed lock, standard steel sheet construction, and weighing in at 61 lbs., it can be easily moved by a single person.

The GCB-910 has shelves cut for ten total long guns; six on the back wall and two on each side wall. Accessories are available to make better use of the space available, to include a fabric door organizer for odds and ends.

Winchester Bandit 10

Winchester Firearms has been a household name for well over a century, and for good reason.

The Bandit 10 is a durable option, constructed of 14 gauge steel sheet and weighing in at over 250 lbs.

The Bandit is fire safe for 45 minutes for temperatures up to 1,400℉. The Winchester name doesn’t come cheap with the Bandit 10 costing just under a grand.

Top Choices by Budget

If you already have a budget planned out this is where it comes together to figure out which item fits your plan. A good safe can fit your needs for less than one hundred, more than four thousand, and a whole lot in between.

Note: the focus of this section is long gun safes with the exception of safes in the $100 and under range.

This price range is higher end, and the safes in this bracket are considered more vaults than safes. Some units at this price point are made to house 40-50 long guns plus storage, so they are not intended for amateur use.

Cannon Safe CA594024-90-H1FDC-17 Cannon Series Premium Safe

Cannon Safes makes higher-end safes with an excellent reputation for toughness and durability. Their offering in the $2,000 price range is a huge piece of American steel, tipping the scales at almost 900 pounds.

The model in this demographic has a 48 long gun capacity and comes standard with a unique feature: the MOLLE door organizer kit.

This price range is still on the higher end of safes. Winchester has a line of safes dubbed the “Big Daddy" series. These massive safes hold up to 42 long guns and a variety of accessories on the top shelf. The door has built-in holsters and pouches for additional storage and is rated for 75 minutes of fire exposure at 1,400℉.

Stack-On TD-40-GP-B-S Total Defense 36-40

Stack-On offers one of their higher end models right under a grand. Their offering is configured to hold between 36-40 long guns, or it can be configured to hold long guns on one side and several shelves on the other, partitioned in the middle.

You get 30 minutes of fire protection at temps up to 1,400℉.

Steelwater 20 Long Gun Fire Protection for 60 Minutes AMEGS592818

Steelwater offers a 20 long gun safe at a little under a grand and is an impressive option. Unlike their industry competitors who offer fireproof ratings at 1,400℉, the Steelwater safe is rated at 1,875℉ for 60 minutes.

It employs a digital lock which operates using a regular 9V battery, actuating five 1 ½” chrome plated locking bolts to secure the vault door. It weighs in at 425 lbs., so about half that of the Fat Boy and Big Daddy.

Stack-On TC-16-GB-K-DS

The Stack-On TC-16 safe is a great option for sub-$300 rifle safe. The safe is very modular, allowing the user to configure it in different ways depending on whether you want more space for long guns, accessories, or a mixture of both. There is also a fixed area in the center of the safe made for a pair of tactical rifles or shotguns.

Barska Quick Access Biometric Rifle Safe

Barska, widely known for their budget-minded optics, also offers a long gun safe. For under $300 you can get a stand-up safe with a biometric lock. Their biometric lock stores up to 120 fingerprints, allowing your whole family access, as well as allowing you to store more than one of your fingerprints.

This is a plus in the event of injury to your hand, ensuring you still have access to your firearms.

Under $100 - Affordable Picks

If you can afford buying a gun, you need to budget for a safe. Safes costing around $100 are about as basic as you can possibly get, and they don't offer much in the way of security. However, they will keep your guns stowed away and out of other people's hands.

Stack-On GCB-8RTA

The Stack-On GCB-8RTA is a simple, 8-guns safe constructed of steel sheet, and employs a simple key lock. It costs right around $100, making it a great affordable option.

While not as high quality as other Stack-On models, it will get the job done until you can upgrade to something more substantial.

Top Manufacturers & Brands

We have run the gamut of gun safes, vaults, and secure storage units in this article. There are dozens of different brands out there, so make sure to do your research and read reviews before purchasing.

There are certainly niches of the market, and the well-recognized brands tend to stay in their comfortable areas of the market. The question of who makes the most robust safe is difficult to answer because there are so many variables.

Liberty Safes

If you are looking for a gun safe that is made in America, then Liberty safes are your choice. Their safes are made in Utah and offer a combination of quality parts with old-fashioned American craftsmanship.

Kodiak Safes

Kodiak safes are similar to Steelwater and Winchester, i.e., they are big, heavy steel vaults. While not well known, the brand is a derivative of Rhino Metals, Inc. which makes their products in the USA.However, the Kodiak series of safes are imported. That being said, the Kodiak series boast MSRPs of roughly half that of their USA-made brethren.

Browning Safes

The name Browning has been synonymous with firearms for over a century. Anything that bares the Browning name has a very long lineage, and the safes are no different. They offer a variety of high end, durable safe models to fit your needs. They even offer Vault Doors if you want to convert an entire room into a safe!

Secure-It Safes

Secure-It makes a lot of different items, mostly tow straps and tie downs, so making gun safes is not their only offering.

Their niche is safes which are small and cheap, ideally suited for keeping a pistol secure in your car.

Conclusion

While this is not a totally conclusive review of all safes and vaults, it is intended to give buyers an idea of what is available.

By breaking models down by type, application, and cost you can get a better understanding of what is available on today's market. There are many options out there, and there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all safe.

If you own explicitly handguns, you won't need to look at a $3,000 safe for 48 long guns. Conversely, if you have a collection of premier shotguns and rifles, you really should not settle for a budget safe.

Take a look at the information above, do your own research, and buy what suits your needs. In the long run, it will be one of the wiser investments you'll ever make.

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